Context and Objective

The Seagate BlackArmor 440 is officially limited to capacities well below 32 TB.
Naturally, using the standard NAS operating system, I previously installed 16 TB (4 × 4 TB) without any difficulty. According to Seagate support (contacted by phone), the stated limit is 12 TB. I informed them that 16 TB works perfectly and without any special manipulation.

However, after several real-world tests performed on two identical NAS units, it is possible to install 4 × 8 TB drives (32 TB raw) by bypassing a software limitation in the web interface.

This procedure does not involve modifying the firmware, but rather adjusting an input field on the browser side.

Operating Principle

The BlackArmor 440 refuses to create a volume exceeding 4 digits in its web interface (e.g. maximum 9999 GB).

This limitation is artificial and can be bypassed using the browser’s developer tools.

The solution consists of:

• Creating two 16 TB volumes instead of a single 32 TB volume, because even if the 4-digit limit is bypassed, entering 32768 GB exceeds internal variables and causes the process to fail
• Modifying the maxlength value of an HTML input field

Important Prerequisites

• Functional Seagate BlackArmor 440
• 4 identical or compatible 8 TB drives
• RAID 5 configuration
• Modern browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox)
• NAS connected to a stable power source (see the article about power supply issues)

Installing 4 × 8 TB Drives in a Seagate BlackArmor 440: Detailed Procedure

Volume #1

Install 4 NAS drives, ideally 8 TB each, identical or compatible, configured and detected.
Click Add Volume, as illustrated.

Select RAID 5.

This is where the limitation appears: the Volume Size field is restricted to 4 characters and must be changed to 8 characters.

To do this, press F12. The developer panel will appear on the right side of the web page. In the upper-left corner of the panel, click the Select element tool.

Click inside the Volume Size field with the left mouse button.

This automatically selects the corresponding HTML element. In the right panel, you will clearly see the tag maxlength="4". This is the limitation that must be changed. Double-click the number 4, replace it with 8, then press Enter.

You should now see maxlength="8". You can press F12 again to close the developer panel.

Now enter the “safe size” for Volume #1: 11142 GB.

Note: At this point, it may be tempting to check the Max. option, but this will not work. You will waste a significant amount of time, and in the end the process will fail near completion.

You should see a summary with the volume name and description, and confirm that Volume Size is set to 11142 GB.

After a very long process — almost 55 hours, depending on drive speed (even fast drives take a long time) — the volume will finish building.
In my case, each volume took about 2.5 days.

Make sure, as much as possible, that the NAS is connected to a UPS or to an electrical outlet backed by a generator. In case of a power failure, everything must be reformatted and restarted from scratch.

Once completed, you should see the Status set to Good, with a volume size of approximately 10.71 TB.

Technical Information: Why Don’t We See 16 TB?

All drives reserve about 7% for the file allocation table (metadata). In addition, RAID 5 consumes approximately 25% of usable capacity.

Why RAID 5?
With only 4 drives, RAID 5 provides one disk fault tolerance. If one drive fails, no data is lost. The NAS should ideally be shut down if critical, or the drive replaced immediately while hot-swapping.

If a second drive fails, nearly all data is lost. This happened to me: all four drives were purchased at the same time with the same lot number; the second drive failed six days later, before I had received my replacement. Lesson learned ;).

With 6 drives, RAID 6 is recommended, allowing two drive failures without data loss. My third NAS is a QNAP running RAID 6 with 6 drives and two NVMe M.2 drives for read/write cache.

Volume #2

Repeat exactly the same steps as for Volume #1 by clicking Add Volume.

Enter the same size value. This ensures reliable operation with minimal wasted space less than 22 GB total. You can try adding 10 GB more per volume, but the gain is minimal. After all my tests, I decided to play it safe ;).

Construction of the second volume proceeds the same way.

Result

You should end up with two volumes, both showing Status: Good and identical sizes.

I removed one drive and connected it to Windows to examine the partition layout. Several trial-and-error attempts were required to fully optimize disk space without causing the NAS RAID creation process to fail.

The small partitions are automatically created by the NAS and are used for RAID 5 data protection.

Partitions managed by the NAS :

Partitions of the two RAID 5 volumes :

Unallocated space: you can try adding 10 GB per volume; Windows rounds values, so don’t rely too heavily on the decimal precision :

In Windows, when connected to one of the volumes, the rounded size of 10.7 TB per volume is clearly visible. On my first NAS, I used 10985.63 GB, resulting in 10.56 TB.

Conclusion

This method allows installing 4 × 8 TB drives in a Seagate BlackArmor 440 without modifying the firmware.

Tested Seagate BlackArmor 440 Models

The tests and configurations described in this article were performed on the following Seagate BlackArmor 440 models, configured in RAID 5:

• Model 1: HD232 ASSY HOUSING – STAR401
• Model 2: ST320005SHA10G-RK

Although the model names differ, the hardware is strictly identical (same chassis and internal electronics).

• Part Number (P/N): 60.61U07.003

The procedures and results therefore apply to both references.

Useful Links

Seagate BlackArmor 440 datasheet (English):
https://www.seagate.com/docs/pdf/datasheet/disc/ba_nas_400_ds.pdf

Below is the power adapter I personally use on both of my Seagate BlackArmor 440 units.
After a first adapter from another brand failed over time, these have been running 24/7 since purchase without issues.

Important Information
This article contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase a product through these links, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.

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Introduction

If your Seagate BlackArmor 440 freezes more and more frequently and eventually shuts down immediately after startup, the issue may simply be related to the power supply (PSU) — especially on a NAS that is 10 to 12 years old.

Below is a real-world case and the tests performed to identify the root cause.

Seagate BlackArmor 440 Power Supply Issue: Diagnosis

Observed Symptoms

• The NAS freezes occasionally, then more frequently over time
• One day, it shuts down completely by itself
• When pressing the ON button:
  • the lights turn on
  • the NAS starts briefly
  • then shuts down immediately
• Even after being unplugged for several minutes, the problem persists

Tests Performed

• Booting with no hard drives installed
  → the NAS powers on and stays on
• Installing one hard drive
  → works
• Installing two hard drives
  → works
• Installing the third hard drive
  → the NAS shuts down after 2 seconds

Conclusion: the power supply can no longer deliver enough power as the load increases.

Diagnostic Conclusion

After 12 years of use (NAS purchased in 2009), it is very likely that:

• the original power supply is reaching end of life
• it can no longer handle the full load (4 hard drives)

This type of power supply failure is common on older Seagate BlackArmor 440 NAS units and can cause immediate shutdown at startup.

Considered Solution

To keep:

• a 12 TB volume (4 × 3 TB)
• and another 16 TB volume (4 × 4 TB)

Replacing the power supply was a low-cost solution worth trying.

Since I own two identical BlackArmor 440 NAS units, I purchased two compatible replacement power supplies.
Since then, both systems have been running perfectly.

Important Before Buying

Make sure to strictly match:

• the same voltage
• the same amperage
• an identical connector

The following search query works well:

“AC DC BlackArmor 440”

Disclaimer

This solution does not cover all possible issues, such as:

• motherboard failure
• defective hard drives
• overheating
• firmware issues

However, on a NAS older than 10–12 years, the power supply is one of the first components to check, especially if the NAS boots without drives or with only a single drive installed.

Additional Note

I was able to install 4 × 8 TB drives, resulting in 32 TB raw capacity.
This process is explained in another blog post.

Tested Seagate BlackArmor 440 models

All tests and configurations described in this article were performed on the following Seagate BlackArmor 440 models, configured in RAID 5:

• Model 1: HD232 ASSY HOUSING – STAR401
• Model 2: ST320005SHA10G-RK

Although the model names differ, the hardware is strictly identical (same chassis and internal electronics).

• Part Number (P/N): 60.61U07.003

Therefore, the procedures and results documented here apply to both models.

Useful Links

Original article / technical reference :
http://expertlogisoft.com/dev/seagate-nas-blackarmor-440-power-problem

Datasheet Seagate BlackArmor 440 :
https://www.seagate.com/docs/pdf/datasheet/disc/ba_nas_400_ds.pdf

Here is the power adapter I personally use on both of my Seagate BlackArmor 440 units.
After a first adapter from another brand that did not last over time, these have been running 24/7 since purchase without any issues.

Important Information
This article contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase a product through these links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

Back to the Blog